Journal lubricator



Oct. 4, 1960 H. R. STINE JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Filed May 14, 1959 FIG.

FIG. 2

INVENTOR HOMER R. STINE ORNEY JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Homer R. Stine, 114 E.13th St., Newton, Kans.

Filed May 14, '1959, Ser. No. 813,252

5 Claims. (Cl. 308-243) This invention relates to the lubrication of thejournals of railway cars, and more particularly to a novel type oflubricator pad for insertion into a journal box on such cars between thejournal surface and the adjacent bottom and side wall portion of thebox.

Since the packing of journal boxes with cotton waste previously wasresponsible for almost 90% of hot boxes or bearing failures, cottonwaste type lubricators are fast being replaced.

Through years of experience in railroad work, as well as through actualexperimentation with various types of journal lubricators, and thetesting of such lubricators in actual use, I have concluded that thechief cause of hot boxes or bearing failures today is dust entering thejournal box and creating what I term dust glaze, which is anaccumulation of dust on at least a portion of that surface, of thelubricator pad which periodically contacts the surface of the journal.

During operation of a railroad car at high speeds, high velocity aircurrents are created in the vicinity of the journal boxes, and dustenters the boxes and settles on all exposed surfaces, including thosesurfaces of the lubricator pads which are immediately adjacent thejournal. As is well known to those familiar with this art a journal maymove as much as A3 to /2" fore or aft, or up or down, with relation tothe walls of the journal box. Such journal movement may be occasioned bysevere road impact, by a sudden stoppage of the car, by a reversal indirection of car travel, etc. When direction of travel is reversed, forinstance, a journal may move aft in its box This means that a portion ofthe aft lubricator pad which has not previously been in contact with thejournal, now comesinto actual journal contact. Since thementionedportion of the lubricator has previously been exposed tosettling dust, the dust glazed portion which is now. in contact with thejournal surface wipes lubricant from the journal, and causes bearingfailure or hot box.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a lubricator whichembodies its own compressible resilient means for continuouslymaintaining an adequate portion of its surface in lubricating contactwith the journal, regardless of the mentioned relative journal movement.Another primary object is to provide a lubricator which is so shaped andconstructed that it will be periodically moved or rotated a slightdistance about an axis parallel to and adjacent the journal, suchmovement being accomplished by the frictional contact between thesurface of the rotating journal and the surface of the lubricator. Suchrotation is in a direction which brings a fresh and previously unusedportion of the lubricator surface into contact with the journal surfaceasurface portion which has previously been submerged in oil in the lowerpart of a the journal box. Such lubricator rotation is also in adirection to move a dust glazed portion of the lubricator padaway fromthe immediately adjacent journal surface so that it cannot come intocontact with the journal surface the next time the journal shifts in itsbox. Such ttes P t '5 partial rotation of my pad is neither constant norpredictable. Instead it is periodic, erratic and unpredictable, anddepends on variables such as temperature changes, air humidity, frost,condensation in the journal box, etc., as well as on the roughness ofcar handling, frequency of reversal in direction of car travel, etcNevertheless, such partial rotation occurs with sufficient frequency andto a suificient degree to prevent a previously dust glazed portion ofthe lubricator surface from coming in contact with the journal surface.

My invention will be more clearly understood when the followingdescription is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing my lubricator padsinstalled in operating position in a conventional journal box, the viewbeing taken along the line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through my lubricatorshowing details of construction;

Fig.4 is a schematic sectional view illustrating the effect of relativejournal movement on my lubricator pads, when in operative position; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a preferred form of canvas harness,which constitutes a part of my lubricator.

Referring to the drawings, my lubricator comprises: a wick like,absorbent, flexible and compressible outer cover 10 in the form of anelongated generally cylindrical sleeve, open at both ends; a cellular,resilient compressible inner core 11 of oil resistant or oil imperviousrubberlike material extending substantially from end to end of thesleeve ltl; and a tough harness 12 (Fig. 5) of canvas or other similarmaterial, substantially encompassing the core 11, and sewed at itsopposite ends to the respective ends of sleeve 10 to prevent anymaterial longitudinal movement of the core 11 with respect to thesleeve.

The sleeve or cover 10 may be mad-e from several layers of terry clothtoweling formed into a blanket or thick sheet with two of its oppositeedges butted and lapped slightly, and sewed together in a fiat seam, asat 13, Fig. 3. Any other material which is tough and wearresistant andhas the other above mentioned characteristics may be used.

The core 11 is preferably extruded or molded from Buna-N rubber, becausethis material has the characteristic of maintaining its resilience evenwhile immersed in hot oil. Any other suitable material may be used.Several of the rubberlike plastics would serve the purpose. The cellsextend from end to end, and are preferably open throughout theirlengths. Their cross sectional size and shape is not critical, but nearits longitudinal center the core 11 should have an enlargedlongitudinally extending cell defined by a continuous thickened wall 14.The cross sectional shape of this central cell does not have to becircular as shown. The thicker wall of this central cell gives an addedand secondary resilience to the core as a whole. The thinner walledcells are laterally compressed and distorted first and to a greaterdegree, and the central cell wall is compressed to a lesser degree, butbecause its resistance to a compressive force is greater, it backs up oraids the other cells in maintaining the outer sleeve surface inlubricating contact with the journal, as explained below.

It will be understood that the over all length of the sleeve, the coreand the harness is substantially the same, and that this length issubstantially equal to the length of the journal to be lubricated.

The harness 12 (Fig. 5) is prefabricated prior to assembly of the partsand consists of two parallel side straps 15 and '16 and two end straps17 and 18, assembled in the relative positions shown, with theirrespective adjacent ends sewed firmlytogether, as indicated by thestitch lines 19. While the end straps 17 and 18 can, be used as ffpullstraps for removing the assembled lubricator pad from a journal box, Iprefer to sew two separate pull straps 20 and 21 to the opposite ends ofthe harness. In completing the assembly, core 11 is inserted into theharness with its opposite ends adjacent the harness ends 17 and 18. Thisassembly is then compressed slightly by hand and inserted endwise intosleeve The previously sewed ends of the harness are next sewed firmly tothe marginal portions of the opposite ends of the sleeve, as indicatedin Fig. 1 by stitch lines 22. g

It is important to note that my assembled lubricator pad, when not undercompression is substantially cylindrical in shape, and that it has noexterior scams or other projections which will interfere with itsperiodical partial rotation about its long axis when it is undersubstantially diametrical compression in the journal box.

Installation and removal Before installing my lubricator in a journalbox 23,

Figs. 1 and 2, it should be submerged in Warm oil until sleeve 10 isthoroughly saturated. Either end of the pad is then inserted into thebox opening and compressed to case it into the space between the journal24 and the adjacent wall 25 of the box. Two such lubricators are soinstalled in the relativepositions shown in Fig. 2, one on each side ofthe center of the journal box. They extend lengthwise from journalcollar 26 to shoulder 27, which is the length of the bearing 28, to belubricated.

Operation As will be understood, the journal box is filled with oil to alevel below the journal surface, as indicated by the numeral 29. Thesleeve material acts asa wick and continuously feeds oil from the bottomof the journal box to the rotating surface of journal 24.

As previously explained, and as illustrated schematically in Fig. 4, thejournal will at times move with relation to the walls of the journal boxduring car operation. When the car is started in the direction indicatedby arrow 30 the journal moves aft and assumes the relative positionshown in solid lines. This further com presses lubricator 31 andincreases journal friction on the surface of that lubricator. Theincreased friction causes lubricator 31 to rotate several degreescounterclockwise. This brings a small portion of previously unusedlubricator surface into contact with the journal surface, and moves alike portion of lubricator surface, which has previously been exposed todust, away from the journal surface.

Simultaneously the compressive force of the journal on lubricator 32 isreduced, so that lubricator has little tendecy to rotate at that time.Its inherent resilience, however, due to core 11, causes it to expandand maintain lubricating contact with the journal surface.

When the car reaches its destination and begins its return trip in theopposite direction, journal 24 may move to the position shown in brokenlines in Fig. 4. Friction against the surface of lubricator 32 isincreased, and against lubricator 31 reduced. Lubricator 32 is thusrotated several degrees clockwise about its own long'axis, with theresult previously described.

Thus no part of the lubricator which has been exposed to settling dustin the upper part of the journal box comes into surface contact with thejournal, and the greatest cause of present day hot boxes is eliminated.

From the above it will be seen that I have provided a lubricatorconstruction which is sufficiently resilient to maintain an adequatelubricating surface area against the journal at all times regardless ofjournal movement, and

a lubricator which is self-rotating and which always re 4 I tates in adirection to move dust laden surfaces away from contact with the journalsurface.

Having described the invention with sufiicient clarity to enable thosefamiliar with thisart ,to construct and use it, I claim:

1. In a journal assembly which includes a journal which extends throughan end wall of and into a journal box which has a liquid lubricant wellbelow the journal, elongated self-rotating lubricator means fortransversely compressed positioning between the journal surface and awall of said lubricant well for conducting lubricant from the well ontothe journal surface, said lubricator means comprising: at least oneelongated generally right cylindrical cellular core of flexible oilresistant material, the cells of said core being disposed longitudinallyand being resiliently deformable transversely, one central cell beinglarger in cross sectional area and having a con siderably thicker wallthan the surrounding cells; a combination lubricant wick and cover forsaid core in the form of a thick walled flexible sleeve of absorbentmaterial encasing the core from end to end; and a flexible strapextending across each end of the sleeve and across the respectiveadjacent ends of said core and secured to the respective sleeve ends,said straps serving both as handles for the entire lubricator and asmeans to prevent any material longitudinal movement of the'core withrespect to the sleeve.

2. In a journal assembly which includes a journal which extends throughan end Wall of and into a journal box which has a liquid lubricant wellbelow the journal, elongated self-rotating lubricator means fortransversely compressed positioning between the journal surface and awall 'of said lubricant well for conducting lubricant from the well ontothe journal surface, said lubricator means comprising: at least oneelongated generally'cylindrical honeycomb type core of an oil imperviousflexible rubber-like material having its cells disposed longitudinally,and having a relatively'large relatively thick Walled central cellsurrounded by smaller thinner Walled cells, said thinner walled cellshaving a primary resilient resistance to deformation by a radially ortransversely applied force, and said central cell having a secondary andgreater resilient resistance to deformation by such force; and acombination lubricant Wick and cover for said core in the form of. agenerally cylindrical thick walled sleeve of absorbent material encasingsaid core from end to end, said sleeve havinga bumplessprotuberance-free'outer surface to present minimum interference toslight periodic movement of the entire lubricator about its own longaxis as a result of the frictional con- --tact of its sleeve surfacewith the rotatingjournal.

3. The lubricator described in claim 2 in which the ends of said sleeveare open, and means secured to the respective ends of the sleeves andextending across the respective ends of the core for preventing anymaterial relative movement between them.

4. The lubricatordescribed in claim 2 and a combination core harness andhandle for removing the compressed lubricator from its position betweenthe journal and the lubricant well wall, said harness consisting of aflexible strap of a width less than the diameter of said sleeve, saidstrap being positioned between the sleeve and the core, and extendingalong two diametrically opposite sides of the core and across both itsends to thus encompass the core, said strap being secured to the sleeveadjacent both its ends, those portions of the strap which extend'acrossthe respective ends of the core serving to prevent relative movement ofthe core and sleeve, and also serving as handles for moving thelubricator.

5, A lubricator pad comprising a core member of cellular oil resistantflexible material, generally cylindrical in shape and having the cellsrun longitudinally of the 5 impart to said Central cell a greaterresistance to lateral deformation than is resident in the cell walls inthe outlying sections of the core, said cells being open at uppositeends of the core and said core being enclosed within a substantiallycylindrical sleeve of oil absorbent wioking material, and a strap membersecured to at least one end of the sleeve member at substantiallydiametrically opposite points for confining the core within the sleeveand providing handle means for with-drawing the UNITED STATES PATENTSDavis Sept. 12, 1882 Harkenrider Sept. 11, 1956 Harkenrider July 30,1957

